A visit to Bavaria in Germany last autumn afforded the opportunity to visit two of King Ludwig’s many residences, Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau Castle. Bavaria is truly one of the most beautiful and enchanted places we have ever visited with quaint villages, mountain vistas, inland lakes and beautiful roads running through pastoral tranquility. While a popular tourist destination an out of season, early morning visit made it seem as if we had it all to ourselves, for a while anyway. Most of the posted pictures were taken in Schwangau, home to Hohenschwangau and Neuschwanstein Castles, interior shots are absent as they are not permitted in any of the royal castles.
Hohenschwangau was built on a hill overlooking the lake Alpsee in the 12th Century, remodeled over the next 600-years and serving as summer and hunting lodge to generations of Bavarian royalty. It was the boyhood home of King Ludwig II of Bavaria and where he lived during the construction of Neuschwanstein in 1869. Fanciful and dreamlike the Hohenschwangau is decorated with over 90 paintings portraying the history of Schwangau as well as medieval German romances like Parsifal, Lohengrin and Tannhauser which were later turned into operas by Richard Wagner.
Neuschwanstein Castle built on the rock outcropping above Hohenschwangau is a stunning example of 19th Century Romansque Revival architecture. Inspired by the operas of Richard Wagner, one can only imagine the fairy-tale like existence living here must have been. Sketches of Neuschwanstein before construction were completed by a theatrical set designer which is reflected in the dreamlike appearance. King Ludwig moved into a still unfinished Neuschwanstein in 1884 and lived there for only 172 days before passing away. Beautiful, imposing, and whimsical this World Heritage Site is a must see for anyone touring about Southern Bavaria.
All images were taken with Fuji X100s with 23mm f2.0 lens in RAW format, processed in Lightroom Classic 9.3
Beautiful!!